Photo: GreenPeace
Today is Clean Air Day, and one study aims to celebrate the day by reminding us that we need to strive for cleaner air and a healthier environment. That starts with leaving the car at home for the day.
Research by NGO Global Action Plan reveals that children are more exposed to pollution than adults because of their height. Walking to school near a busy road means they breathe in 30% more exhaust fumes, The Independent reports.
Sadly, driving your child to school doesn’t mean that he’s any safer from breathing in polluted air, the same research shows. Children in vehicles running on gas and diesel are 2.5 times more exposed to pollution than children walking to school near quiet, traffic-free roads.
In other words, a solution would be leaving the car at home for a day, at the very least. The study was conducted in 4 cities across the UK, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and London, where the issue of pollution has long been identified as a problem.
It used thermal imaging techniques with CO2 as tracer and revealed that, because of their height, children inhale considerably more exhaust fumes, including nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and diesel particulates.
In the long term, this means impaired development and health complications like asthma and pneumonia that cost the NHS billions. The worst part is that children, though the most impacted by this issue, are also those who contribute nothing to it.
“Children’s lungs are especially vulnerable for those at primary school and younger, as they are still developing,” Queen Mary University’s Professor Jonathan Grigg says of the findings.
“It’s critical that we protect the health of our children’s lungs from air pollution, in order to prevent lasting damage. My research has shown that exposure of young children to higher amounts of air pollution from traffic, has a major impact on their lungs. Although parents can reduce this impact by walking on less polluted roads and taking public transport, the UK government must take further steps to reduce toxic emissions from all roads,” Grigg adds.
Sadly, driving your child to school doesn’t mean that he’s any safer from breathing in polluted air, the same research shows. Children in vehicles running on gas and diesel are 2.5 times more exposed to pollution than children walking to school near quiet, traffic-free roads.
In other words, a solution would be leaving the car at home for a day, at the very least. The study was conducted in 4 cities across the UK, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and London, where the issue of pollution has long been identified as a problem.
It used thermal imaging techniques with CO2 as tracer and revealed that, because of their height, children inhale considerably more exhaust fumes, including nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and diesel particulates.
In the long term, this means impaired development and health complications like asthma and pneumonia that cost the NHS billions. The worst part is that children, though the most impacted by this issue, are also those who contribute nothing to it.
“Children’s lungs are especially vulnerable for those at primary school and younger, as they are still developing,” Queen Mary University’s Professor Jonathan Grigg says of the findings.
“It’s critical that we protect the health of our children’s lungs from air pollution, in order to prevent lasting damage. My research has shown that exposure of young children to higher amounts of air pollution from traffic, has a major impact on their lungs. Although parents can reduce this impact by walking on less polluted roads and taking public transport, the UK government must take further steps to reduce toxic emissions from all roads,” Grigg adds.
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